1st – 4th July 2013. European Council debate, EU Budget deal and Irish Presidency. Lithuanian Presidency. Agriculture council. Croatia. Floods in Central Europe. Sakharov prize winner. PRISM. Latvia’s accession to the Euro. UCITS. FTT. Cyber attacks. European elections. Religious persecution.

European Council debate, EU Budget deal and Irish Presidency

MEPs will debate the outcome of last week’s EU summit with the leaders of the council and commission. ECR leader Martin Callanan will argue that the best agenda for the EU to pursue is to open markets and deregulate labour markets so that legislation does not stand in the way of businesses employing people, particularly young people.

The parliament will also debate the results of the outgoing six month Presidency of the EU, and last week’s political agreement on the long-term EU budget with Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny. ECR budgets spokesman Richard Ashworth will call on MEPs from all groups to deliver the deal agreed by leaders in February.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Debate: Tuesday @ 08.30

Lithuanian Presidency

MEPs will discuss the programme of the incoming Lithuanian Presidency of the Council with President Dalia Grybauskaitė. It will focus on restoring the EU’s economic credibility and growth and strengthening the EU as a global model of openness and security. Developing the banking union framework and deepening the economic and monetary Union will be high on the Lithuanian Presidency agenda. Other key priorities include further deepening the single market, especially in the field of energy, closer integration of the EU and its Eastern partners and smarter control of the EU’s external borders. ECR Lithuanian delegation leader Valdemar Tomasevski, whose Party forms part of the Lithuanian government, will speak in the debate.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Debate: Wednesday @ 09:00
Press conference: Wednesday @ 11.20

Agriculture council

Agriculture ministers will seek to reach political agreement on the CAP reform proposals. ECR agriculture spokesman James Nicholson, and members of the agriculture committee Julie Girling MEP and Janusz Wojciechowski MEP will be present for the debates in Luxembourg. ECR Agriculture spokesman James Nicholson said he wants a fair deal on the reform, not necessarily a fast one. See

http://ecrgroup.eu/?p=8670

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Debate: Monday afternoon onwards

Croatia

Croatia will become the EU’s 28th Member State and the ECR will gain a new MEP with Ruža Tomašić.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Croatian accession: Monday

Floods in Central Europe

MEPs will debate and hear statements from the Council and Commission on the recent floods in Central European countries. The debate follows fatal floods that hit mainly Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic and to a lesser extent Slovakia, Hungary and Poland in late May and early June. In a resolution to be voted on, Parliament is to call for aid from the EU Solidarity Fund. ECR MEPs from the Czech Republic Oldrich Vlasak and Evzen Tosenovsky, and Polish Member Tomas Poreba, will speak in the debate.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Debate: Tuesday @ 15.00
Vote: Wednesday@ 11.30

Sakharov prize winner

Guillermo Farinas, who won the European Parliament’s 2010 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, will finally collect his prize from the parliament. The Cuban dissident was prevented from collecting the prize in 2010, but ECR Czech MEP Edvard Kožušník visited him in Cuba in 2011. Mr Farinas will also speak at the ECR’s Group meeting.

Press officer to contact: Jan Krelina on +32 493 214346

Group meeting: Tuesday @ 18.00
Farinas to receive prize: Wednesday @ 12.00

PRISM

MEPs will vote on, and debate, a resolution regarding the recent allegations concerning intelligence operations. ECR civil liberties spokesman Timothy Kirkhope believes that MEPs should wait until more information is available before rushing to pass judgment on the allegations.

Press officer to contact: James Holtum on +32 473 861762

Debate: Wednesday @ 15.00

Latvia’s accession to the Euro

MEPs will vote on a report setting out their view of Latvia’s application to join the Euro. ECR Latvian delegation leader Roberts Zile believes that in Latvia’s circumstances Euro membership is in his country’s best interests.

Press officer to contact: Roland Petersons on +32 498 984707

Vote: Wednesday @ 11.30

UCITS

MEPs will debate proposals to amend the directive regulating the financial-services products known as UCITS (undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities).

While shadow rapporteur Syed Kamall is broadly happy with the direction the file is taking regarding deposit eligibility, deposit liability, conflicts of interest, and sanctions, he is less happy with remuneration proposals.

Notably, this report includes a bonus cap of 1:1 (of fixed to variable remuneration) and a ban on performance fees. The ECR argues that such a cap would only push up base salaries, harm transparency, limit competition and increase costs for investors.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Vote: Wednesday @ 11.30

FTT

The parliament will give its opinion on plans to bring forward a Financial Transaction Tax in 11 EU countries under the so-called ‘Enhanced Cooperation’ procedure.

ECR Shadow Rapporteur Ivo Strejcek remains trenchantly opposed to the proposal. The ECR cannot support a measure which carries an extra-territorial reach and which is likely to have adverse effects on liquidity and the availability of financial products.

Press officer to contact: Jan Krelina on +32 493 214346

Vote: Wednesday @ 11.30

Cyber attacks

MEPs will vote to step up protection against cybercrime by examining measures to overcome the patchwork nature of the current European legal apparatus.

ECR civil liberties and justice spokesman Timothy Kirkhope believes criminals are able to exploit the current disjointed system to launch cyber attacks. He welcomes the proposed framework of co-ordinated criminal penalties and clear systems for the timely and efficient exchange of information between member states.

This is the right way, he believes, for member states to be alert and to warn each other of potential cybercrime attacks or breeches of networks.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Vote: Thursday @ 12.00

European elections

MEPs will debate an own-initiative report suggesting ways in which Andrew Duff MEP believes European elections could be improved in 2014.

ECR Constitutional affairs spokesman Ashley Fox believes that while greater voter involvement is to be welcomed, Mr Duff’s proposals are likely to have the opposite effect in many member states.

He does not support the idea of pan-European party logos on ballot papers or of pan-European parties making party political broadcasts, both of which would merely confuse many voters. He also rejects idea of the election results deciding the Commission presidency. The EU is not a state and so does not require an elected president, he believes.

Press officer to contact: John Furbisher on +32 498 984760

Vote: Thursday @ 12.00

Religious persecution

Peter Van Dalen MEP will host a hearing in conjunction with the European Centre for Law and Justice on the legal implications of religious persecution. Speakers include Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situations of human rights in Iran.

Press officer to contact: Maarten van de Fliert on +31 652 24 44 64

Hearing: Wednesday @ 15.00 Room LOW N3.2